The Flavors of Tea
by maron-oiseau-chanson
Summary: Collection of oneshots, involving a rather fundamental part of Naru's personality: his addiction to tea. Stories involve Mai making tea and various situations within the SPR Office. Brief summaries before each chapter. Warnings will be provided for light novel and manga spoilers.
1. Lips on a Teacup (Mai's POV)

How Mai makes the perfect cup of tea.

* * *

After cleaning up the bathroom of the office, Mai headed back to the receiving room to organize some books Naru laid out before shutting himself in his room. When her shadow passed his room, he called out to her.

"Mai."

The girl froze before the door. "Y-yes?"

"Tea."

"Roger that." With that, the girl scurried to the kitchenette to start the tea. Cupboards opening and closing, tea cups and saucers shifting as she pulled them out, Mai felt as though she could make Naru's tea with her eyes closed.

The sixteen year old took great pride in the tea she made for her boss. Considering a majority of her life was spent looking after herself, Mai was more than willing to be able to look after another. That's why she always made time when Ayumi-chan called to spend some time with her "onee-chan" or Michiru and the other girls from school wanted to catch up on some ghost stories.

It was much more difficult with the SPR members. She couldn't recall a time they weren't together on case. Sure, from time to time Monk would stop by demanding iced coffee or Ayako would pop in asking about her "progress" with Naru, but the group never went out in public together unless it was concerning a case. _Well, there was that one time we had the Christmas party. But even then… We were still here in the office._ Mai frowned. She resolved to ask the other members for their numbers and addresses so they could spend time together.

But with Naru, Mai had a sort of special in. She was the one who made tea for him every day, or rather several times a day. Every cup she made she took special care to make it to Naru's standard, though Naru had never complained before.

After steeping, she poured the tea into Naru's cup (somehow she always ended up using the same cup from the set of six). She brought the cup to her lips and sipped the hot liquid. The heat startled her. The porcelain clicked on the saucer when she jumped away from the heat. _Too hot. I'll just leave it for a couple of minutes._ She put the cup and saucer back on the counter top.

Mai had this habit, testing the cup of tea before presenting it to her boss. She would never let anyone know about it of course. It was too embarrassing. Just imagining someone catching her made her cheeks flush.

_"__Mai-chan. Stop giving Naru all those indirect kisses." The Monk would tease. "He's too cold of a person to realize the warmth of a young maiden's love."_

_"__Eh? That's not what I was doing!" Mai would deny. "I was just making sure the tea was okay."_

_"__Sure, sure." Then the Monk would return to the receiving room. _

But the thought of an indirect kiss made the young girl unconsciously touch her lips.

"Mai?" Naru's voice called behind her.

"N-Naru?"

"Where's my tea?"

She picked it off the countertop. "Right here."

He took the cup and saucer from her and raised the tea to his lips. He returned it to the saucer and proceeded back to his room. Her boss did not notice the blush on her cheeks or the small smile on her lips.


	2. Lips on a Teacup (Naru's POV)

Naru's POV for Lips on a Teacup

***WARNING: THIS CHAPTER IS MANGA COMPLIANT. If you do not wish to spoil the manga, please DO NOT READ THIS. However, if you've already had it spoiled for you, be it fanfictions, etc, I suppose there's no reason to discourage reading this.***

* * *

Snapping the small black journal shut with one hand, Naru rubbed his temples with the other. _Still nothing. _Naru pinched the bridge of his nose. It was exhausting and disappointing to pull up map after map, shifting through pictures of the large number of lakes throughout Japan, only to visit every godforsaken place and realize it was not where his brother's body was disposed.

Opening the black book again, he flipped to the back cover. There laid the last known thing Gene had ever touched, a letter to Naru. It was found in his older brother's hotel room. It described the details of the case, as well as his brother's bothersome way of being Gene. By now, he could dictate it, word for word. Because of Naru's powers, he would instantly be brought to his brother's resting place: a nondescript lake, surrounded by foliage. _How descriptive._ How was Naru supposed to find Gene in a country with over one thousand lakes? _With disciplined patience and persistence. _He rubbed his temples again.

Perhaps he missed something and should touch the letter again. Did he dare relive his brother's death? It was exhausting both physically and mentally.

He noticed a shadow pass his room.

"Mai."

Her shadow jumped. "Y-yes?"

"Tea."

"Roger that." The shadow retreated from his door.

He would never admit to it, but he really appreciated her tea. It was pretty bad at first. Tea leaves were temperamental, he knew that, but Mai didn't seem to know the difference. Sometimes the tea was steeped too short, other times too long. Because even the ratios between tea leaves to water differed between black and green tea, cups danced around being bitter or bland. He hoped the faces he made after the first cup were good enough indicators. (Though, only Lin could really read Naru's faces.) But once she got it right, it was perfect. Of course, he never told her that, it would go to her head.

His hand hovered over the letter. He put the book down. Glancing to the clock on the wall, Naru discovered his thoughts had wasted five minutes. _Where is that girl? _The fact water takes time to boil, and tea leaves take a few minutes to steep completely went over his head. If he had been a little less impatient he wouldn't have walked toward the kitchenette.

Mai was humming one of her songs. _Off key. _Naru noted. Her right hand went to her left wrist to reveal a small wrist watch underneath her long sleeved shirt. She tapped the face of her watch in time with her foot, clearly waiting for the tea steep. For some reason Naru hid himself in the doorway. _Stupid, why are you hiding? _The girl continued to hum her song, all the while looking lost in thought.

After exactly three minutes, the girl strained out the leaves and set them aside. She retrieved a napkin to clean around the saucer and cup. With both hands, she picked up the tea and tasted it.

If Naru could blush, he would have at that moment. But the great Oliver Davis did not blush, he froze. It took him a moment to process what exactly the idiotic girl was doing. When she jumped back from the tea, he realized she was checking the temperature of the liquid. He hadn't realized her tea was never too hot or too cold, or that there were no rings of water or tea on the saucers when she presented it to him. He had to give the girl more credit.

Her hand went up to her lips. Before Naru realized what he was doing, he flew into the room.

"Mai."

"N-Naru?" The girl spun around almost violently.

"Where's my tea?"

She picked it off the countertop. "Right here."

Taking the tea from her hands, he felt himself freeze yet again. He brought the cup to his lips then set it back down on the saucer. _Perfect. _As he turned away, he could sense the girl's elation but could not fathom why.


	3. Cold Tea (Mai's POV)

Hello all, Maron here. Because I decided I liked writing oneshots, I thought it best to keep them altogether on one document. Please forgive me for constantly changing what was once marked as a "Completed" story. Please enjoy!

* * *

Another tea making situation. Mai's tea is hot and ready, but Naru won't answer his door. (Poor summary, I'll get better.) Mai's POV

***WARNING: Vague manga references, but hopefully vague enough without spoilers***

* * *

"Mai, tea."

"Coming right up." The brown haired girl scurried from the receiving room to the kitchenette in the back of the office. Naru heard water rush into the pot and the stove click to life as he passed the doorway.

The girl heard the door click behind her boss and she let out a sigh. Mai began humming to herself a tune she heard on her commute to work. _What a way to spend summer vacation. _Not that she could complain much. The pay was good, considering what little work there was for her. She was just tired of the monotony.

Make tea for the Naru. Bring tea to Naru. Offer to make something for Lin-san. Get rejected by Lin-san. Clean the receiving room. Fetch the mail. Wait.

And the waiting could go on for hours. There were weeks at a time when no business would come to the SPR. Other times a few stragglers would find their way in, asking for various things like horoscope readings or cult meetings. And even fewer were the actual cases Naru took on.

But this day seemed to be former.

After fixing Naru's tea, Mai knocked ever so slightly on her boss's door. When she got no response, she knocked louder. "Um, Naru? I have your tea." She knocked again.

She always thought it was odd. When she made tea, she was never allowed to enter the room. She would have to knock and wait for Naru to get it. Sometimes if Naru really wanted tea, he'd pop up in the kitchenette before should could even get to the room.

She look to the door to the left of Naru's private office. Lin-san always, always stayed in his room. She wondered when he even went to the bathroom. _Maybe I should ask Lin-san to give the tea to Naru? _She shook her head. _No, Lin-san would be angry with me if I bothered him with such a little thing. _

Her hand hovered over the doorknob. _I really hope Naru won't be angry with me. _The girl peeked her head into the room.

The room was filled with books. Shelves lined the walls everywhere. On the executive desk laid stacks of papers, all in neat little piles. _He's so organized. _She noted.

"Naru? I-I have your tea."

In the large leather chair, the great ghost hunter narcissist Shibuya Kazuya slept. Head knocked back, arms folded over his chest and eyes closed, Naru looked almost peaceful. _Darn him for having such good looks. Even sleeping he's gorgeous. _Mai dared to venture further into the room. But then she froze.

After a moment, Mai realized the predicament she was in. _What if he wakes up? What am I supposed to say? "Hey Naru. I just barged into your private office when you specifically told me not to just to leave you tea." _The girl sighed.

Naru stirred in his seat.

_Stupid! You need to leave! _

"Gene…"

Mai frowned. _What is he saying? Was that a name?_

"Find you…"

Mai's head cocked to the side. _Is that English? _

"Miss you…"

_Uh. Mich tu? Mish chu?_

"Sorry…"

_Sarey? Sorey? Sorry? Sorry for what? I wish I knew more English. _

"Mai. Leave. Now."

The poor girl's eyes widened. She turned to see Lin in the doorway. She moved as quickly as possible out of the room and into the hallway.

She bowed deeply before the Chinese man, hands tight around the now cold tea. "I'm sorry. I know I should not have been in the room."

Although Lin-san and Mai initially had a rough start, after the confrontation, Lin-san was more open to her, albeit still evasive as ever. The tall man closed the door ever so softly. "I won't tell him as long as you make me a cup of tea."

A smile broke on Mai's face. "You got it!"

"Mai." Naru's voice behind the closed door broke her excitement.

She was so startled she nearly dropped the cup and saucer in hand. "Y-yes?"

"What happened to my tea?"


	4. Coffee (Lin's POV)

Hello all, Maron here again. I decided to take a break before our two psychics and focus on the other person in the office. It's a little longer than the other ones. Hope you guys enjoy it!

ALSO! I want to thank everyone who is following/favorites this story. It make me really happy to see those notification pop up in my email. Comments as well! It's nice to put some views to usernames and icons. It lets me know you guys want them to keep coming. If you guys notice something amiss, such as OOC or grammatical errors, I appreciate constructive criticism.

Just to let you guys know, I'm all for prompts. Suggestions are nice and will probably help get the creative juices flowing, so send me some prompts!

Alright, let's get to the story.

* * *

Lin finally talks to Mai in the office and decides to ask for a hot beverage of his own. Lin's POV

***WARNING: MANGA COMPLIANT. SCURRY OVER AND READ THE MANGA BEFORE YOU READ THIS. SERIOUSLY! I love it so much that I don't want to be the one to ruin it for you guys.***

* * *

The keys flowed beneath his fingers.

_Day 2_

_Bedroom exhibited signs of paranormal activity. Temperature dropped steadily after 19:00 at a rate of 2.47 degrees Celsius per half hour. Temperature leveled off at 0 degrees Celsius at 4:53. Temperature gradually began to return to normal temperature at 5:22. Microphone 4 and Microphone 5 did not detect any sound. Camera 4 did not detect anything of note. _

Lin's eyes flickered to the screen to his left to confirm the data points.

_Kitchen exhibited signs of paranormal activity. Temperature stayed constant throughout the night. Temperature of room dropped to 2 degrees less than average in the middle of the night. The room to the eastern side of the kitchen is the bedroom. Room temperature may have dropped because of this. (See attached blueprint) Microphone 6 recorded knocking sounds at 3:27:47 until 3:48:04. _

The Chinese man felt his eyes begin to droop.

_Camera 6 ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd_

"Mai, tea."

Naru's voice startled the man awake. He pressed his palms to his eyes, attempting to wipe the sleep away. The fruitless trip to yet another lake left Naru in a poor mood. However, during the drive back Naru refused to go to sleep.

_"__Noll, you should get some sleep." Because they had not seen the other members of SPR, English slipped from Lin's lips. _

_"__I'm fine Lin." The rather grumpy psychic insisted, also in English. "Just keep your eyes on the road."_

In an effort to get to the office the next morning, they left late that night to get back to Shibuya. The walk from the car parking lot to the hotel room was long as well. Both enjoyed two sleepless hours before having to head to the SPR office.

It wasn't like the two weren't used to sleepless nights. It was just, this particular location seemed so promising. Noll scoured the area for an additional three hours before deciding to leave. Naru would never show his disappointment, but Lin could tell. He'd known the seemingly emotionless child for years. The walk back to the car was indicative. Naru's shoulders were slightly slumped, though his stride never faltered.

Lin got up from his chair.

Alongside the Japanese and British, the Chinese also love tea. However for Lin, tea was never as enjoyable as coffee. After his first sip years ago, he was hooked. But not the cheap instant coffee. Freshly brewed coffee had always been his preference. _I could really go for a cup of coffee._

But the tall man was not comfortable asking for coffee from the Japanese girl. Well meaning, sure. Ignorant as well. But rude? Cruel? Mai was not like the Japanese of the past. Lin liked Mai, just not her country. Lin dreaded coming to Japan, being forced to learn the language. Lin was bitter.

When Mai confronted him, he softened a bit, even going so far as to laugh at her. She was very much like Gene. Excitable, impulsive, loud, but also kind, thoughtful, and caring. _NO wonder Naru talks to her like he spoke to Gene. _

Lin yawned. Pondering for another moment, he headed toward the door of his office. Flinging the door open, he saw the young girl's eyes widen with surprise.

"Taniyama-san, would you mind making me a cup of coffee?" Lin wondered if his tone made him sound angry or nervous.

The brightest smile sprung on her face. "Sure! Do you take sugar and cream?" The girl began to walk to the kitchen.

"Just creamer." For some reason Lin found himself following her to the kitchenette.

The brown haired girl began searching through the cupboards for the coffee. Smiling when she found it, she proceeded to head toward the coffee maker.

"Um, Lin-san?"

"Yes, Taniyama-san."

She fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "It makes me nervous with you watching me make your coffee."

The man was taken aback. It was a little odd to follow her to kitchenette. After all, Mai seemed to be the only one who used it. He wondered if the refrigerator were ever stocked. _I don't leave food here, but Taniyama-san always brings out something for the potential customers. _"I'm sorry Taniyama-san. I will leave now."

She shook her head. "No, I didn't mean you should leave. I just don't know what to say." The girl scratched her head.

"I'm not a very talkative person." Lin said.

The girl laughed. "Just like Naru." The girl thought for a moment. "But I think you'd be less rude in conversation than him. He just always calls me an idiot."

Her hands flew to the cupboard again, this time to pull out a tea cup. "I'm sorry Lin-san. There aren't any coffee mugs right now. Is it alright if I use one of these tea cups?"

The man nodded.

She poured the coffee into the tea cup, careful not to spill any. She walked over to the fridge to pull out some creamer. From behind the door, she called out to Lin again. "There's only this caramel creamer that I keep for Monk in the fridge. There's also milk, if you'd like."

"The creamer is fine."

Mai pulled out the creamer and began to search for a teaspoon. "Do you like it sweet?"

"Not really." The man replied.

The girl began pouring the creamer into the teaspoon. "Then two teaspoons should be enough?"

He nodded.

Swirling the drink with one hand, Mai retrieved a saucer. Leaving the spoon, Mai presented the coffee to Lin. Taking a sip, he frowned.

"Oh no!" The girl flushed. "Is it too sweet? Did I make the coffee wrong? But you just make it with a coffee maker, right?"

"The coffee is old. Coffee tastes best freshly ground." The man said.

Scurrying to the cupboard, Mai checked the date on the coffee. "You're right, it's a few months old. You can taste it?"

The man nodded.

"I'll be sure to buy fresh coffee beans tomorrow." Mai cupped her hand around her mouth. "What kind should I buy?"

"I like Columbian, but Brazilian is good as well."

The girl nodded. "Okay."

An idea popped in his head. "I could teach you more about the paranormal if you make me a better cup of coffee."

"Really?"

Lin was not used to being vocal. He found nodding was appropriate for most occasions. But he felt he needed to be more willing to speak with Taniyama-san. "I promise."

She flashed him another smile. "You can call me Mai."

This girl really knew how to surprise people. Lin hadn't expected a simple cup of coffee to start a new found intimacy with a coworker. But this was Tani-, Mai. She had this odd ability to worm her way into people's lives. _She really is like an overzealous puppy, quick to make friends._ But Lin did not think he would mind being friends with the young girl. He gave her a soft smile.

"Okay, Mai-san."


	5. Green Tea (Masako's POV)

Hello all, Maron here. I'm fulfilling a somewhat prompt from Adventure Skyward Girl, the individual who actually inspired me to write "Lips on a Teacup" from Naru's POV and aided in the creation of this story full of oneshots.

On with the story!

* * *

An interaction between Masako and Mai surrounded a cup of tea.

* * *

Masako always wondered why she thought going to the office would change anything. She supposed it was her own stubbornness that guided her there. Pulling the door, she let herself inside.

However, she wasn't greeted with the usual perky welcome. The office was next to silence. Taking quiet steps into the receiving room, she looked about for any signs of anyone being in the office. Walking toward the private offices in the back, she felt someone's eyes on her.

"Hara-san." The tall Chinese man greeted her. "Mai-san still out on her lunch break."

She pulled the sleeve of her kimono to cover her mouth. "Is Shibuya-san here?"

"In his private office." He gestured to the closed door. "However, I do not think Naru will be able to go with you today. We are leaving in a few hours."

The girl nodded. "Is it alright if I just stay here in the office?"

The man shrugged, returning back into his own office.

Masako made herself at home, making her way into the kitchenette. Deciding to make herself some tea for once, instead of Taniyama-san, she looked around for some green tea. The cupboards offered no such thing, instead they had black teas and coffee bags. _But I've had green tea here before, haven't I? How odd. _She resolved to make herself some black tea, though she'd never done it before.

Leaving the kettle to boil, she examined the kitchenette. _Taniyama-san keeps everything very tidy. _She processed her thought. _She's your competitor in love! She doesn't deserve any compliments. _

As much as Masako wanted to hate the girl, she couldn't, not really. After what happened in the mansion, she owed the girl her life. Although rather brainless at times, Mai did have some redeeming features. Her own hardheadedness was always in the best interest of others. She was trying harder to remember more about the supernatural, although her sudden knowledge was alarming for a novice, perhaps someone was tutoring her.

Masako flushed. _What if Shibuya-san is tutoring her? What if he's giving her private lessons when we don't have cases to work on? _The girl shook her head violently. _No that's not possible. Shibuya-san doesn't have the patience. _The thought was broken by the whistling of the kettle.

Shuffling through the cupboards for a tea cup, she dropped a tea bag into the cup. She poured the hot water over it. Her eyes widened as the clear liquid quickly darkened. _Am I doing this right? How quickly do I remove the bag? _Her panic was broken by another person entering the room.

"Masako-chan? What are you doing?" The girl had a plastic bag swinging around her wrist. She raised an eyebrow. "Are you making tea for Naru?"

Masako raised her kimono sleeve to her mouth. "Someone had to when the office assistant is missing." She said. "I would also rather you use a more formal honorific when we're speaking, Taniyama-san."

Mai frowned. "You're in a foul mood today Masako-chan." She put an emphasis on the honorific. "And I already told you call me Mai."

The brown haired girl started to take out the groceries from the plastic bag. One of which, was Masako's favorite brand of tea. Mai noticed Masako's line of vision.

She offered a smile. "We ran out so I went out to buy you more. Would you like some?" She eyed the cup in front of the medium. "But you've already made yourself one."

"Who said it was for me?"

Mai glanced to the clock. "Well, it's 12:45. I made Naru a cup before I left at noon. He normally won't want another one until about two." The girl shoved her hands in her pockets. "The boss is on some tight schedule that I had to figure out a while ago."

Masako was amazed Mai knew this much about Shibuya-san.

"But I'm pretty sure you don't want that. It doesn't taste very good without milk and sugar. Apparently the British drink it like that. " Mai scrunched up her nose. "I can prepare it if you'd like."

Despite herself, Masako nodded.

Mai prepared her tea with a kind of finesse, something similar to a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, but in a more western styled way. Hands fluttered between the milk and the sugar, wrist twirling the spoon. When she was finished, Masako was somewhat disappointed it ended.

"Here you go." Mai presented the tea to the dark haired girl.

"Thank you." Masako was apprehensive of tasting this tea. What sort of person puts milk and sugar in their tea? Westerners are such strange tea drinkers. It ruins the integrity of the tea. _It smells nice enough. _She took a tentative sip.

It was such a foreign taste to her tongue. The milk cooled down the tea, making it cooler than the tea she was used to, but it added another layer of flavor. The sugar surprised her, sweetening an already muted tea. "It's good."

Mai's eyes brightened. "I'm glad."

"But I still like green tea more." Masako put the tea cup on the counter. "I would be appreciative if you would make me a cup like you normally do, Mai-chan." The dark haired girl offered a lovely smile.

"You got it, Masako-chan."


End file.
